Has it been that long?

Well, I know that it's been nearly a year since I posted here, and so much has happened. I decided that I would take our "Christmas Letter" that we send to many of our family members and friends and post it here. (We didn't send to everyone this year, due to our income situation, which is explained in the Christmas letter.) So, here it is:

Well, another year has passed, and what a crazy one it has been! We almost didn’t write a letter this year, but changed our minds at the last minute. It just wouldn’t feel right not sharing what’s going on with all of our family and friends.

First, for those of you who don’t know, last year, Curt started working only four days per week. He has continued working only four days through 2010, unless he had a big project to complete. In addition, Erica lost her job in February. She really never thought that it could happen, but it did...after 13 years of working with the same people. Anyway, as they always say, every cloud has a silver lining. Since Erica lost her job, she was able to spend nearly two weeks in Myrtle Beach and was there for the birth of our granddaughter, Gracelynne Elizabeth, on February 28. What a blessing to be able to share such a special time with Scott, Jessica, and the boys! We don’t know that they’ll ever know how much Erica appreciated their putting up with her during such a tough time in her life and such a hectic time in theirs!!!

In April, we had the chance to visit Myrtle Beach together. It was the first time Curt got to meet Gracelynne (aka Gracie). We had a wonderful long weekend visiting with everyone. At home in Youngstown, we also celebrated Matthew’s third birthday, and Cari was home to visit for a few days.

In May, Erica had a rather exciting experience. Elton John (one of Erica’s favorites) actually played a concert right here in Youngstown! Although we were not thrilled with our seats, it was such a fun day...especially since we didn’t have to travel to Cleveland or Pittsburgh to see him.

June brought along Regionals, as usual. Although Curt’s skaters skated well, none of them went to Nationals, which is the first time since Curt became a coach that he did not have to travel to Nationals. It was a nice change of pace.

In August, Erica had her first overnight stay in the hospital (since she was a toddler). She went to the doctor with a pain in her side and a fever. When the doc saw her temp of 103, he sent her straight to St. Elizabeth's Hospital. Although they never figured out the problem, the fever was down, so she went home the next afternoon. On a brighter note, Cari and her boyfriend, Jeff, came to visit later in the month. We got to spend a great weekend with Bill, Amy, and Matthew at “camp,” while Cari and Jeff were here. We also went with Cari and Jeff to Cedar Point, where Erica realized that she’s really too old for that stuff! We also spent a day at the Canfield Fair with Cari, Jeff, Bill, and Matthew.

Then, in September, we took our annual week-long trip to Myrtle Beach for Ethan’s and Logan’s birthdays. We had a great condo, and the weather was perfect! Our September trip is always so much fun, whether we’re just sitting around, playing with the grandkids, or sight-seeing. It’s always so difficult to leave!

October and November were filled with the normal Autumn fun. We got to take a trip to Pittsburgh to see Jake play in a shoot-out tournament at the new Consol Energy Center. He did great, and we even got a behind-the-scenes tour of the Center. What fun! We went all-out for the Halloween decorations, as we usually do, and we had our annual Three-Dinner Thanksgiving. (For those of you who don’t know, we have our own turkey dinner for breakfast. Then we go to Curt’s family’s for another meal at 1:00 PM, and then we go to Erica’s family’s for another dinner at 4:00 PM.)

We’ve had so many fun and exciting things happen this year, that we almost forgot one important “little” piece of info. We forgot to mention that little Gracie is going to be a big sister sometime in the beginning for 2011. That’s right! Scott and Jessica are expecting another baby—a boy—on April 2, 2011. This will make baby #4 for them and grandchild #5 for us. (It seems like we are announcing a new addition to the family every year, doesn’t it?)

As of right now, we are preparing to have a great Christmas. Although Erica is still looking for a job, she has a possible opportunity that we hope to confirm over the next couple of weeks. Cari is coming for another visit during the week of Christmas, which is going to really brighten things around here. We are just so blessed! We wish we could share more, but we’re quickly running out of room again. So, we’ll close and wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year. God Bless!

Much Love,
Curt and Erica

When the Police Knock on Your Door...

Okay, so here’s the deal. I got tickets (through work) to go to a Lake Erie Monsters’ hockey game in Cleveland on Tuesday night. So, we invited our friends, Tom and Crystal, to join us. The plan was to meet at our house, grab a quick bite to eat, and head to Cleveland.

So, I get home from work Tuesday to find Curt and Tom chatting in the kitchen. Crystal was expected to meet us about 15 minutes later. Curt explained that he had backed his car into the driveway and had Tom help him unload a large box and put it on the back porch. (Curt and I had picked up a rather large Christmas gift the day before, and we had left it in Curt's car.)

I went back to the bedroom to change clothes, and as I was coming back out, I saw Crystal pulling up, parking on the street with Tom’s vehicle. I let Crystal in, and we met the guys in the kitchen. After a few minutes of chatting, we decided to get on the road.

Crystal and I headed into the living room, only to find a police officer standing at the door, getting ready to knock! Before he could knock, I opened the door. He asked if I was the “homeowner,” so I said, “Yes.” (The first thing I thought was that, for some odd reason, he was going to tell us to move the cars that Tom and Crystal had parked on the street.) However, he said, “Your neighbor called and said that someone was breaking into your house. Can I come in and have a look around?” As I stepped back to let him in, I looked outside and saw 2 or 3 other officers in the front yard and 3 police cars on the street in front of the house.

As this was going on in the living room, Curt and Tom were still in the kitchen. Tom went to lock our back door and said to Curt, “Hey, there’s someone walking across your back yard.” When they went to look, there was a strong knock at the back door, which is when Crystal, the officer, and I walked into the kitchen. There was another officer (hand on his weapon) knocking at the back door. Tom unlocked the door to let him in...so, now we have two officers (not counting the ones still outside). Freaky!

We weren’t sure what was going on at this point. We headed back to the living room, and the first officer explained that a female neighbor “directly across the street” had called in that she saw someone trying to break into our house. He also said, “Although, we have reason to believe that she’s losing her mind.” We explained to him that our neighbor across the street wasn’t even home, so it couldn’t have been her calling. We thought that it must have been the elderly lady in the house diagonally across the street from us. He checked the address, and said, “Yep. That’s the house.”

By that time, the neighbors from two doors down were walking over to see if everything was okay, and I was nervous about leaving the house. Remember - We were about to leave for Cleveland and probably wouldn’t get home until after 11:00 PM. Did she simply mistake Curt and Tom for two people trying to break in or did she really see someone trying to break in? Who knows how long it was between the time she called and the time the police arrived? Maybe Curt and Tom has scared away whoever it was - if there was someone. It was nice to know, however, that the members of the neighborhood are watching out for each other! With this in mind, we went on our way, with our other neighbor promising to keep an eye on things.

Despite the rough start to our evening, we had a good time, and the Lake Erie Monsters won the game, beating the Grand Rapids Griffins (the Detroit Red Wings affiliate team) by a score of 6 to 2. What an evening!

To Go or Not To Go

I know that it’s been a while since I’ve written anything. I have been very busy, and it seems that every time I want to write something, I sit down, but nothing seems to sound right...until today.

There has been a lot of talk on Facebook lately about my high school reunion that’s coming up later this year. I have bounced back and forth about whether or not I should go. I’ve caught up with many classmates on Facebook, and there are some that I look forward to seeing again. However, there are a few that I’m not as excited about seeing...one in particular who I think could make the whole evening very emotional for me.

I don’t know if Eric will be there or not, but after all of my attempts to contact him (see my previous blogs on the subject here and here), it may be very difficult for me if he is there. I’m not going to worry about it too much, since I don’t even know if he’ll be there. In addition, I think that getting together with the few friends I really want to see outweighs seeing Eric.

So, I still sit here debating - to go or not to go to my 20th high school reunion.

June 2009 Update

It’s been nearly a month since my last blog (other than the poem, which doesn’t count since I didn’t write it), and I thought it was about time to tell everyone what’s been going on with us.

It has been crazy around the Baun residence lately!

As usual, this time of year, things have been really busy. First, there was all the time spent watching the Stanley Cup Finals at the beginning of the month. Then, Curt and I have season tickets to the Mahoning Valley Thunder (AF2 Football), and we had two games in two weeks. Usually they are spaced out a little more than that. On June 19, we took a friend and her son (who I think is now 7 years old) to see one of the games. It was actually the best game of the year! The game on the 27th was Fireworks Night, so we got home a little later than usual.

Then, between the two Thunder games, we had the Great Lakes Regional Roller Skating Championships in Romeoville, Illinois. Obviously, Curt and I were not skating, but Curt had students that were. Out of the three entries (four students skating - two solo and one team), one solo skater qualified for the National Championships in August. So, on August 7, we will be heading to Peoria, Illinois for the National Championships.

Then yesterday, Sunday, June 28, was a big day for me. I was baptized. It was such an amazing experience, and I don’t even know how to begin to describe it…so I won’t. (LOL) I’ll just say that it was so great to have Curt there, in the water with me (pictures on FB), and to have my parents there, as well as Bill, Amy, and Matthew. After church, we went to eat with my parents. We got to spend a little time with Matthew later in the afternoon, and we visited with long-time family friends at Curt’s parents’ house. It was such an awesome day that I didn’t want it to end!

However, here it is…Monday…and I’m back at work. I’m so glad to have a long weekend coming up. Of course, as usual, we have a full, busy weekend planned. I think we’ll have a free weekend in the middle of August! So, until I have some free time again…

Ain't

This was sent to me by a dear friend of our family. I thought that it was just too cute not to share!



He was just a little boy,
On a week's first day.
Wandering home from Bible school,
And dawdling on the way.

He scuffed his shoes into the grass;
He even found a caterpillar.
He found a fluffy milkweed pod,
And blew out all the 'filler.'

A bird's nest in a tree overhead,
So wisely placed up so high.
Was just another wonder,
That caught his eager eye.

A neighbour watched his zig zag course,
And hailed him from the lawn;
Asked him where he'd been that day
And what was going on.

'I've been to Bible School ,'
He said and turned a piece of sod.
He picked up a wiggly worm replying,
'I've learned a lot about God.'

'M'm very fine way,' the neighbour said,
'for a boy to spend his time.'
'If you'll tell me where God is,
I'll give you a brand new dime.'

Quick as a flash the answer came!
Nor were his accents faint.
'I'll give you a dollar, Mister,
If you can tell me where God ain't.'

Have a great week!

FINAL Follow-Up to "I Did Something Crazy!"

Well, it's been a month since I sent the letter to my former best friend, Eric (aka Carlos). I was really hoping that I would hear something…anything…from him…even if it was just to say, “Leave me alone.” However, I have heard nothing…absolutely nothing.

I am quite disappointed. I have had three dear friends in this life…I have re-established relationships with two of them (Matt and Laura), but apparently, re-establishing a relationship with Eric is not meant to be.

Matt and I have known each other for nearly 20 years. We went through a few years of not talking to each other at all (long story), but we put all that behind us, and we’ve been friends now for many years. I’m confident that we will remain friends for many more years to come. As for Laura, it’s great to have her around again. We were never the best at keeping in touch, but we’ve now established the understanding that we may not always communicate, but we are always there if needed. She’s truly one of my dearest friends, and it really helps that she lives so close to me now!

I am hoping that these friendships will continue to change and grow. Nevertheless, I have to say that I am saddened by not hearing from Eric. I just have to resign myself to the fact that I have done my part. I have tried, but it just did not work out as I had hoped. I don’t know what mistakes I made with Eric, but I will try my best to never let anything like this happen with any of my other friends.

I was really hoping that I would hear something…anything…from him…

Follow-Up to "I did something crazy!"

It’s been a week since I mailed the letter to Eric. Since he only lives an hour from me, I’m assuming that he would have received it on Friday or Saturday (at the latest). I have not heard anything yet. Should I be disappointed? Should I just give it up? I’m not quite sure what to think. I provided him with everything he needed to contact me; I even gave him my schedule.

I think I’ll give it a few more days - maybe a week - before I give up completely.

I did something crazy!

I know, that may be hard to believe (not), but I did. To make a long story short, I wrote a letter to someone with whom I have not communicated in over a year. Now, let me explain a little bit more, and you may see why I think it’s crazy.

I wrote a letter to Eric (aka Carlos). Carlos was my best friend from sixth grade all the way through college and beyond. He stuck by me through some really tough stuff; we were always together. When we started college (at BC3), I used to give him a ride every day. Then, when he transferred to Slippery Rock, I would pick him up on Fridays to bring him home. When I started skating in 1993, he would go with me just so I didn’t have to go alone. He’d sit in the snack bar or a corner somewhere and read.

Now, I’m not really sure what happened, but as sometimes happens with friends, we grew apart. I moved to Boardman and eventually got married. He is still in Butler, and that’s about all I know anymore.

The last communication (email) I can find from him was in December 2007. I’ve tried emailing several times, but I haven’t had a response since that one in 2007. (In that last email, he mentioned that he was having trouble with his email, so he may have a new email address.) I tried sending a text message to his cell phone, but I never got a response either. (Just so you know, I hesitate to call since I do not know what kind of schedule he keeps.) I finally decided that, as my last attempt, I would write him a letter and mail it to the last known address that I have.

I first got the urge to contact him around the Holidays. In addition, some of the messages at New Hope over the past months have been about relationships and fixing broken ones. This is one relationship that I would really like to fix. Plus, as some of you may know, Carlos and I were both really into Star Trek, and with the new Trek movie coming out, I think about him even more often. I have never had another friend like him, and I don’t know that I ever will.

We’ll just wait and see what happens if/when he receives the letter. What a crazy move, huh?

Changing Lives

I read a blog post yesterday that really made me think. You can read it here. This post discussed how commenting on a child’s simple, homemade costume did so much to raise that child’s self-esteem, and how moved she and her mother were by this small gesture.

I often wonder what I (as one person) can do to change the world. I hear people talking all the time about making the world a better place, but after reading this blog post, I see how simple it really can be. It made me wonder how many lives I have changed, simply by smiling at someone at the right moment or by commenting on an outfit, a costume, a hairstyle, or something...something that was, in my mind, a simple act of common courtesy.

Amazing what a little courtesy can do!

Bible Study - Update - Myrtle Beach Trip

Unfortunately, I didn't get to go to the Bible study last night. Things really blew up with our upcoming trip to Myrtle Beach. First, we found out that our friend, Betty, couldn't go with us, due to her husband being in the hospital. This may not sound like a big issue to some, but we use Betty's timeshare when we go, so this was a bigger deal than one may think.

So, we got a "guest certificate" (for an additional fee), which would allow the remainder of the party to go without Betty. However, we then noticed that the reservation was for a one-bedroom unit, when it was supposed to be for a two-bedroom unit. (It's hard to sleep 5 people in one bedroom.) The company assured us that the one-bedroom could accommodate our party, but then they said that two of the beds were bunk beds! Well, Curt and I really aren't into the bunk-bed thing, and I don't think my parents (both between 65 and 70 years old) are up for getting into bunk beds! So after some arguing with them for screwing up the reservation, we ended up with NO PLACE TO STAY.

Talk about panic!!

So, we called my mom and kept getting her voicemail all evening. She finally called me back to say that they may not be going with us, since her sister (in New Jersey) was in the hospital. My mom and her other sisters are probably heading to Jersey this weekend or early next week.

Curt and I made arrangements to stay with his son, but then Curt decided that he wanted to stay on the beach or no where. So, we spent about 20 minutes looking online, and we found what looks to be a GREAT place to stay!

So, what ended up not being a great way to spend an evening didn't turn out too bad. We're still waiting to hear about Betty's husband and my aunt, who are both in the hospital (one in Cleveland, and one in Jersey). Nevertheless, we have a place to stay, and the trip is still on...thankfully!